Pictage Partner Conference 2007 LA

Here's the latest ScriPic...whatcha think?

Hey everyone, hope you're doing great! It has been beautiful weather here in Monterey, and I am quick to remember not to take it for granted. Today I spent time with my son Judah Kai, and took him to get his second ever hair cut. He did pretty good, considering he's only 16 months old. And so did I, given that my wife wasn't there to help distract him and such! :) We shared a Costco hotdog (or two), ate some raisins (did I spell that right?), and had a blast hanging out. I absolutely love it when he snuggles up to me randomly and give me a big "Daddy Love" hug while he rests his precious little red head on my shoulder. Man, that's the good stuff!

As many of you know, we, on a personal note, moved homes and are now countrified on 11 acres! We are yet to have TV, let alone internet access, so life has been challenging (particularly when it comes time to blogging and emailing!) but we are surviving. :) Judah has space to roam without worrying about cars and the like - although 2 days ago we had to keep him close because of a new mountain lion coming down to say hi - and we have peace and quiet, kinda. After all, our boy is 16 months old!

I'm off tomorrow down to Los Angeles until the end of the week for what will be an exciting time of networking and growing in my profession. My partnered online photo lab Pictage conducts a great conference twice annualy, and this is the one on the west coast. I'm excited to catch up with old friends, and the opportunity to make new ones!

As far as the studio goes, all is coming together greatly, and we are super stoked & about ready to have y'all over! Just waiting on a few large canvas prints and a seriously cool stainless steel piece that will catch your eye. Definately a cool place to hang and feel special, and a great relaxing environment to view your images while sipping on a fantastically delicious cappuccino!

Our new studio phone number is up and running at 800-925-1639. You can always shout out to us about anything you might come up with regarding suggestions or new and fresh ideas for your photos...or your favorite locations! That's always been part of our DNA here at Mike Steelman Photographers - to listen to what our clients desire and have in mind, and to provide an experience that is custom suited to each person. And of course, to blow your mind doing it! We are filling up our dates for Family Holiday Photos, so give us a call today to book your date! God Bless, and see you soon!

Florida still

Although a later post than I wanted, I am proud to say that we made it across the country! We've been here in Florida (settling our friends' stuff & visiting others) since last Saturday. We had a blast driving the 3010 miles across this great country, with only one regret: I wish we had more time to travel and sightsee! Let alone take pictures. Our friends moved to a great beach town called Delray Beach, and is prime location for another satellite office for MSP - already in the works. :) With settling in comes the infamous issues of getting the internet setup and so forth, so I am finally able to blog. Now the catch - limited time. As I write, I am actually visiting long time friends in Clermont, another great upscale town about 3 hours north of Delray Beach. Some of the many friends we have up here have actually been past clients of mine, and it's a blast to be able to see the again and share time together. Praise God for our relationships and friendships!

On a sadder note, while driving through Texas on the trip, I discovered that a friend of mine (that I met at Mike Colon's Photography workshop last February) passed away. His name is Jose Gonzales, and was a great addition to our group. Our prayers and thoughts are with his family as they go through this hard time. Please keep them lifted up in your prayers. Here's a picture of Jose shooting besides Mike Colon.

In refelection, I can't help but to thank God for the relationships I have in my life, and how precious they are to me. All of you that I have met and shared some time of fellowship with, I am extremely grateful for you in my life. To thise I havent met yet, I really look forward to sharing life together! With trying to maintian a successful business and home life, and doing the daily grind, it's a good thing to step back once in a while and really look at your life from a different perspective. God has given us so much freedom, and sometimes we neglect the more important things. My hope and prayer is that we all are knocked back a little where we see the value in life and in each other. It's too easy to get caught up in "living" that we take a lot for granted, don't ya think? After all is said and done, and all else fails, it's all about relationships. Friendships. Making a difference in someone's life. Loving others, and expressing the love of God in that.Things that last. Everything else is just, well... stuff. Take a moment today to reflect on the stuff of life, and the gifts you have. God Bless.

To the Sunshine State Again...

We have been going full speed for 4 weeks now...ending with a driving trip across the country to help out our friends in their move. The original plan was to stuff my motorcycle in the back of the truck and ride it home (One of my Life To-Do's), but our friends have too much stuff and there is no more room. I'm super bummed, but excited nontheless to be able to help them out. My wife will be going with me for some road company and adult time. The kiddo is with Grandma and Grandpa up in Oregon for two weeks - ca you believe it? This is a test of our hearts I guess, as we won't be with our little guy for such a long time. Still, it will be good for us. We leave tomorrow morning in a caravan of sorts for Boca Raton, Florida and plan on a few days of fun! :) I'm hoping to find cafe's with internet so I can update the blog with photos along the way. We'll see!
Otherwise, the new office studio is coming along greatly, and I can't wait for the little reception next month. Y'all are invited for a cappucino or your favorite drink and snacks. More info to follow. Have a great weekend, what's left of it!

SPIRIT WEST COAST!!

Hi all, we're here LIVE on the last night at SWC in Monterey, CA. What a tremendous time, as always! Some 20,000 people attending various christian concerts throughout the day. What a great time. Too bad we haven't had time to see any concerts in full due to our photo booth setup. Lots of great people visiting the booth though, and loving the photos! It's such a blessing to be able to minister to others through our work, and share all that's been happening in our lives. Much thanks to Trish, Kristi, and Dawn (the left handed girls!) for all their help manning (or womanning) the booth for us! More later, but I wanted to say hi to y'all. :)

This whole week is all about MOVING. Don't know if you like it, but I hate moving! I love the idea of something fresh and new, and all that comes with that. But when it comes down to it, I still have to go through all the junk, box it, and move it. Then unpack it once I find it. D'ya know what I'm talking about? Well, anyways, I probably won't post again for a few days again, as I'll be submerged in cardboard.

Yesterday I had a family group session in Carmel. The Ward family - oh what a blessing! You have to meet them. Say hello to quadruplets! We started at the mission, and then went to the beach at the end of Ocean Ave. One of my favorite areas - you get the tourism, yet the charm of an old city. The Wards are longtime family friends, and a blast to run across the beach with. Thanks guys for a great day!
Also, another cool thing, I have a great Renewal Of the Vows this Friday with the Billingtons - congratulations on 16 years! I think that's so excellent. I can't wait.

MENTAL VACATION

Okay, not so much a vacation, but more like a moment of relaxation. I found this pic on my computer of a moment I had while visiting my other love/home (Hawaii). I am in the process of packing, painting, moving, editing, uploading, photographing, and parenting extra kids (neice) these next two weeks, and then jump right into Spirit West Coast the following week. So this picture was a great way to reflect, and to take a mental breather. BTW, I've found a wonderful new studio located in the heart of downtown Monterey, and can't wait to see how it all works out! I haven't forgotten to finish posting the past (ie. Florida and more), but will get to it within the next few weeks. The more I get done, it seems the more there is to do - Praise God, no doubt. Hope y'all are great! Take a moment to chill...

FRESH AND NEW - CHECK IT OUT!

Hey peoples, I said it already, but I'll say it again: THE SITE IS UP! And I am stoked! Please go and visit here today, drop me a line and let me know what you think. Other than that, I'm up here in beautiful and HOT! Idaho, enjoying a little time off and shooting some pleasure shots. It's supposed to be 105 degrees today - ouch! Normally it's about 88 or so, which isn't too bad. The only thing is I wish I had my motorcycle! The Boise area is like my second home (or third, or fourth considering Monterey, Maui, and Orlando! hehe). And of course, it's always a great thing to see family and friends that you haven't seen for some time. That's what life is really about - relationships. And there's one relationship above all - that with God. He is so gracious and giving. Be grateful today! Take a moment or even 10 seconds to reflect on the life you have, and all the little things we take for granted. Appreciation. Wow. :) On that note, let me just give a little thanks to my wife Gina publicly. She has been so patient with me and is such a great wife and mother, I can't really even find the words to describe the joy I have in my heart! She's also quite the developing photographer - I'm so proud!! She'll probably kick my butt for posting this, but here's a general pic of my bride. Raw yet refined, on a cloudy day of portraiture work. To those married, thank God for your spouse! To the unmarrieds, praise God for the place you're in now!
Oh yeah - the contact page on the new site is good to go. So contact me. Have a great day!

CONTACT INFO (temp)

Oh yeah, if you want to get a hold of me, please CALL 831-320-9478 or email me temporarily at libertized@msn.com as I am still setting up the email system with the new site. This will only need to be done for the 2 days, so no worries. THANKS.

okay people, I just transferred DNS name servers, and it takes "up 72 hours to propigate the servers". (Eh?) What that means is that at any given time over the next 2+ days, www.mikesteelman.com is going to be FULLY FUNCTIONAL! Yes, it is true. As faithful bloggies, you get the "soft opening" of the website, as I will do a Grand Opening in the coming weeks. So, what I'm really trying to say is this - check back frequently to experience the fresh new site! I'm really proud of it. Of course as time goes by, it'll only get better as I add more pictures to the galleries, etc. Right now I chose a handful of wedding clients to share with you, but there's so much more. Don't rush through the site though...Be sure to take a few moments, relax, and then let me know what you think. Hope everyone is having a wonderful Tuesday! ENJOY.

MONDAY SO THEY SAY

Okay, so I received an email saying that my new website will be up on Monday sometime. I really hope so because the anticipation is killin me! Plus, I really am eager to share it with you all. In the meantime, how about a completely off the wall subject- SPAM. No, not the stupid emails you get, but the delicious, well balanced diet of canned meat (I think). There are some pretty cool websites completely devoted to the love of spam. For now, how about a cool picture of some spam misubi. I probably spelled it wrong, but it tastes the same nonetheless. In Hawaii, this stuff runs rampant! If you don't like it, something is wrong with you and you are exiled from the islands. Kind of. Start with some classic sticky rice - no Uncle Bens non stick rice here baby! Add a deliciously delicate slice of your favorite SPAM meat, and finish it off with a nice refreshing piece of seaweed to hold it together. The wonderful juices from the fried piece of SPAM gently melts into the sticky rice, giving it it's signature all around flavor. I'm telling ya, it's time. Maybe there will be future articles about the famous canned treasure. Who knows. Let me know about your experiences with our favorite delicatessen. ENJOY!

WAIT...a funny word.

Still waiting! Come on baby, let's get this site going!

Waiting...ANXIOUSLY! :)

Just waiting on the web host to upload the site... To all of you who have been so patient, thank you so much! Some pretty cool stuff happening all at once. We're also in the process of moving residences, and diligently seeking a new studio office space. The few I had working didn't pan out, but I know that God has some perfect place in mind that will probably be better than expected. Y'all know how it goes. :)

For the meantime, let me share with you Georgette. Georgette is an instructor at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and teaches Arabic. She is Lebonese, beautiful, and a blast to work with! We had a great time with her last Monday, just getting some Lifestyle shots at the local wharf and beach. What an awesome day in Monterey! The sunset was perfect, as was the weather. I love it when it all works together! I sometimes start jumping up and down, kinda. Here are just a few pics of Georgette...

A FRESH LOOK...SOON!

Hi everyone, I'm sorry that I disappeared for a while. Things have been crazy busy here, and I promise to fill you in very soon. Just wanted you to know that I will be having my new website up within the week, and would love for you to check it out! It's been one of the things that have kept me from my non-existant habit of blogging. I have a few engagement shoots, a wedding in Florida, a new home, new office, and some other favorites to share with you, so look forward to a fresh new blogging experience!! Thank you so much for your patience, and I can't wait to share with you all that's been going on here at Mike Steelman Photographers!!! :)

Admission

Okay, so with all that's been happening lately, from driving to Vegas for WPPI to driving to Idaho and then Oregon, coming home to photo shoots, learning MAC vs PC, reading up on stuff,I have an admission to make... I am not that good at blogging! AHHH!! Seriously, you who blog daily and carry on the regular tasks of life - how do you do it? You have my admiration, truly. I think about posting a lot more often than I really do, and being the perfectionalist that I am ( I think I have a minor case of OCD when it comes time to completing tasks because I like to be thorough!), I find myself not posting because an image isn't ready or the thought that I had hasn't come back to me yet. Can you believe that? :) Well, let me say this, as a challenge to myself before all of you, I will try to post at the very least once a week. BABY STEPS, as Bob put it. (Come on, you know the movie "what about bob?").
Anyways, life has been crazy here lately, but in a great way. In a very quick and small nutshell: my son is growing like a weed, biting everything that gets in front of him - he's almost a year old! The trip to Idaho and Oregon was a blast, as we got to spend Easter with our families, and witness my sister in law get baptized! Still trying to absorb and put into play all the new info/contacts/new friends & colleagues I met down in Las Vegas at the Wedding and Portrai Photographers International Convention (more on that later...I promise). Taking photos of an adorable little baby, meeting new clients, following up with previous orders of prints, organizing the home and office, and basically just getting back to somewhat of a routine! Spring break was great with the family, but as with any vacation, the home adjustment always seems to take a bit longer, right? Nonetheless, the train is moving, and I am on board!! So, thank you for your patience with my rookie blogging, or lack thereof. Should get more interesting... Hang in there! LOTS OF COOL STUFF UPCOMING!

Hangin in there!

Hi all! It has been quite a while since my last post, and I apologize for taking so long. The expression "When it rains, it pours" is so true! We've had a transmission go out on the photo van, power steering probs with the other car, I've been submerged with Apple's new Aperture program totally chewin up the info on how to use it, shooting, shooting, and shooting, and of course watching my wonderful son during the day! Switching platforms from PC to MAC is great! But because I'm such a perfectionalist it's taking me a long time. Oh yeah, for those who do not know already, I have taken the plunge and committed 100% to my photography by stepping away from the restaurant management position (although it was only 3 days a week). What a blessing! I will be able to focus ALL of my energies on what I truly love to do, my passion of photography. Of course, there is a transition period, and what a blast it's been! FAITH - Forsaking All, I Trust Him...
I've finished the Park's wedding, and I can't wait to post some more photos for you to see! They are truly a great couple with some fun energy! Here's a preview...

I leave tomorrow morning early for WPPI's convention in Las Vegas. I am so looking forward to meeting new friends, catching up with old ones, and seeing what's new...not to mention maybe pickin up a couple seminars. The only lul in my plans is that I am gonna miss my wife and son for a week! Thanks for hangin out, and I'll post more often...